Media+Release

**Social Media Unites International Midwives - 22/4/2013**

Hundreds of midwives from around the world will gather online for the 5th Annual Virtual International Day of the Midwife. This free, and open online conference, lasting 24 hours, will celebrate International Day of the Midwife, starting on 5th May at 10am, New Zealand time. Frances Day-Stirk, President of the International Confederation of Midwives, will be opening the event. This is an opportunity for midwives from around the world to gather and discuss new research, and meet colleagues from different countries and time zones.

"This virtual midwifery event is the only one of its kind in the world,” says Sarah Stewart, Facilitator and m idwife, Australia. “It is a truly unique experience because it provides people with the opportunity to network, and have around the clock live discussions with midwifery professionals, researchers and educators they might never meet in real life. This makes it very easy and quick to disseminate and share knowledge and research."

Now in its 5th year, this international conference is drawing speakers and participants from countries as diverse as Kenya, Bolivia, Australia, UK, Spain, USA, Denmark, Tanzania, Haiti, Canada, and India.

"Meeting colleagues from around the world in a virtual environment will allow us to discuss issues such as safe motherhood, and the continued negative discussion around women's choice and homebirth, and also allow us to stay connected and continue conversations in an online world, past the end of the conference" says Stewart. Other discussions will include midwifery in under-resourced countries, preparing fathers for birth, working with women who have been sexually abused, reducing excessive weight gain in pregnancy, and breech (bottom-first) birth.

"There is so much in the press about the harm that social media can do. In this case, we are using social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and blogs and wiki, in a positive way to bring about international collaboration”, remarks Stewart.

This event is open to midwives, students and anyone with an interest in childbirth, labour and midwifery processes. For further information about the 5th Annual Virtual International Day of the Midwife, please visit the website: http://vidm.org

-ENDS- For more information please contact: admin@vidm.org Ph: +61 420 714031 Twitter: @SarahStewart ||  || Linda Wylie admin@vidm.org Ph: +44 1292 316596 ||  || Annette Dalsgaard Vilain admin@vidm.org Ph: +45 5116 5553 ||  || Lorraine Mockford admin@vidm.org Ph: +1 902 765 8842 ||  || Sarah Bandaskak admin@vidm.org || **Notes to editors:** 1. Photos are available 2. The Virtual International Day of the Midwife organizing committee are a group of international volunteers who are passionate about supporting midwives around the world and facilitating open and free access to learning opportunities, especially for midwives in developing countries: Sarah Stewart, Professional Development Officer, Australian College of Midwives, Australia Deborah Davis, Professor of Midwifery, University of Canberra, Australia Mary Sidebotham, Senior Lecturer and Program Coordinator, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Chris Woodhouse, Facilitator/Consultant, UK <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Lorraine Mockford, Instructional Designer, Nova Scotia Community College, Canada <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Sarah Bandasak, Student Midwife, CPIT, New Zealand <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Annette Dalsgaard Vilain, Senior Lecturer and Consultant, University College Lillebælt, Denmark <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Linda Wylie, Midwifery Lecturer, University of the West of Scotland, UK
 * **Australia** ||  || **UK** ||   || **Denmark** ||   || **Canada** ||   || **New Zealand** ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sarah Stewart